Amerindian rights and interests assured under PPP/C – Ramotar

People Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar has promised to assure the rights and the advancement of the interests of the Amerindian people under his tenure as president.

“You can trust us. We have given you the land and we will do nothing to ever deprive you of any of your rights. I will never allow your rights to be restricted,” Ramotar told supporters at a public meeting held at Kumaka play-field, Moruca, Region One on Saturday.

Ramotar slammed the opposition parties’ attempts to discourage the land titling process by recruiting agents from the communities to stymie attempts at a consensus on the titling.

The opposition parties’ categorisation of government’s support to Amerindian communities as “handouts,” was also strongly criticised during the rally.

President Jagdeo in his address, underscored that the gap in opportunities available on the coastland and the hinterland has been significantly reduced, pointing to significant improvements in access to education beyond primary school as one area.

More than 700 students in Moruca alone are accessing secondary education. There are now 10 secondary schools in hinterland communities. In Region One, there are the Port Kaituma, North West and Santa Rosa secondary schools.

Reference was made to the Hinterland Scholarship Programme which affords students from the hinterland communities, access to quality secondary or technical education in the city which they would otherwise not have been able to access in their communities.

Scholarships to Cuba were also mentioned, and according to President Jagdeo, Amerindians have proven themselves to be the most intelligent.

“You have some of the brightest people in the world from the Amerindian communities. Today our policemen, doctors, nurses and scientists and engineers are coming from the Amerindian communities,” President Jagdeo said.

The president said that under the PNC, Amerindians were treated as second class citizens and recalled the period when the opposition party had criticised government’s plan to enroll hinterland students at President’s College, even though an Amerindian was the top student.

Also in attendance were Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai; Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker; Presidential Adviser on Governance Gail Teixeira; Region One Chairman Fermin Singh and other top regional officials.

Minister Sukhai said Amerindians can today walk with their heads held high since under the PPP/C, they have made unprecedented achievements as government ministers and doctors.

“When it was the PNC (in government), the Amerindians were not even in the mainstream of society. We did not have the democracy, Amerindians did not have the chance or could not even dream of becoming ministers,” Minister Sukhai said.

The Amerindian population in Guyana, once five per cent, has now grown to nine and according to Teixeira; the increase came as a result of efforts by the government to improve the quality of life for Amerindians.

Teixeira said that Guyana is the only country with an indigenous population that has been given communal land title rights.